It Figures

$432,000

Amount stolen by an ex-bookkeeper from Wallace M. Reid insurance agency in Pittsburgh. Prosecutors say 45-year-old Debrah Wenig signed checks to herself and her creditors, then forged the names of supervisors on them. She covered up the thefts — which began in 1997 and last until 2008 — by making false bookkeeping entries and by destroying many of the canceled checks that were returned from banks.

$202,000

The average gross award settlement award for a child under 18 who lost a parent in a deadly 2003 Rhode Island nightclub fire, according to a report submitted in federal court over the $176 million legal settlement. The report reviews death and personal injury claims from the dozens of children affected by the 2003 fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, which killed 100 people and injured more than 200 others. Forty-one children under 18 will receive settlements. The report’s recommendations will require the approval of a federal judge.

$103 Million

Amount sought by a Pennsylvania woman against accounting firm Ernst & Young, which she sued over an accounting error. The woman, Barbara Reilly, initially won the suit in 2003, but a federal appeals court last month overturned that verdict and a bankruptcy judge has forbidden her from filing further suits.

$15 Million

Amount awarded by a Connecticut jury to automobile repair shop owners in their lawsuit accusing an affiliate of The Hartford of unfair trade practices. The Stamford Superior Court jury found in favor of the Auto Body Association of Connecticut, which has been battling the Hartford Fire Insurance Co. for six years over appraisals and labor costs for vehicle repairs. The owners’ group said the insurer’s labor rates were artificially low and the company discouraged the use of independent appraisers in favor of its own appraisers, in order to control all aspects of car repairs. The Hartford says it will appeal the verdict.